Best jobs for the future, 2015-By Stacy Rapacon

As baby boomers retire, their mass exodus from the labor market presents younger generations with greater employment opportunities. But not every profession is booming.
So we put ourselves to work to identify some of the country's most promising careers. Starting with a list of 784 popular occupations, we narrowed the choices to 10 by focusing on fields that not only have been adding to their ranks over the past decade but also are projected to continue to expand well into the next decade. In addition to long-term trends, we favored jobs with strong hiring demand in recent months.
Pay, of course, was another important factor. All of the jobs on our list have annual salaries that are well above--and in some cases more than double--that of the average occupation. And you don't have to stay in school forever to get hired. Most of the jobs require just an associate's or bachelor's degree.
Take a look at 10 of the best jobs for the future.

Speech-Language Pathologist

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Total number of jobs: 134,677 Job growth, 2004-2014: 19.5% (All jobs: 5.2%)
Projected job growth, 2014-2024: 18.9% (All jobs: 11.1%)
Median annual salary: $70,512 (All jobs: $41,683)
Typical education: Master's degree
The health care industry, in general, continues to be an attractive field. "A big theme affecting the job market is the aging population," says Joshua Wright, of Economic Modeling Specialists International (EMSI), a labor market research firm. "Serving the baby boomers as they grow older will drive a lot of health care needs."
Speech therapists, specifically, are needed to treat the growing number of patients whose language has been affected by health conditions associated with aging, such as hearing loss or stroke. Greater attention to treating children with language disorders, such as stuttering, also drives demand for these professionals, about half of whom are employed by schools, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In addition to having a master's degree, a speech-language pathologist usually needs to be licensed by his or her state. Check with the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association for more information.

Community Service Manager

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Total number of jobs: 143,332 Job growth, 2004-2014: 24.7%
Projected job growth, 2014-2024: 19.7%
Median annual salary: $60,528
Typical education: Bachelor's degree
Though this job is not technically in the health care field, it still benefits from treating the aging population. As boomers increasingly lean on social services, such as adult day care and meal-delivery programs, managers of such businesses will be in greater demand. Also, a softening war on drugs that sends more offenders to counseling rather than jail boosts the need for managers of treatment programs.
You need at least a bachelor's degree in social work, urban studies, public administration or a related field to get started. But reaching these managerial heights typically also requires relevant work experience of five years or more. And some employers prefer applicants with master's degrees.

Computer Systems Analyst

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Total number of jobs: 554,524 Job growth, 2004-2014: 23.4%
Projected job growth, 2014-2024: 23.3%
Median annual salary: $80,059
Typical education: Bachelor's degree
This is a nerd's world, and we're all benefiting from it. With the computerization of everything from phones and coffeemakers to cars, you'd be hard-pressed to find a business that doesn't rely on computers in one way or another. That puts the folks who run the computers in very high demand. Computer systems analysts ensure that organizations' technological needs are met and are constantly improving with the advancements and demands of the increasingly connected world.
A bachelor's degree in information technology (one of our best college majors for a lucrative career) or another computer-related field is typical for these workers. But you can also qualify with a liberal arts degree and techie talents you developed outside of a standard four-year program (perhaps even using free online classes). Other non-tech skills can also help you stand out as a job candidate. "More than I've ever seen in the past, employers are looking for a well-rounded tech person with collaboration skills, business acumen and problem-solving skills," says John Reed, senior executive director of specialized staffing firm Robert Half Technology. On your resume, emphasize team projects you've worked on.
App Developer

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Total number of jobs: 691,295 Job growth, 2004-2014: 26.6%
Projected job growth, 2014-2024: 23.4%
Median annual salary: $92,081
Typical education: Bachelor's degree
Why become an app developer? Check the palm of your hand (or possibly your back pocket or the couch cushions) for the answer. The proliferation of mobile technology is driving demand for development of new applications. According to Robert Half Technology, more than 70% of organizations are implementing some kind of mobile strategy, and they all need the tech professionals who can get the job done. Systems software developers, who create the operating systems for computers, are also poised for prosperity; from nearly 400,000 jobs currently, the workforce is projected to grow 21.5% by 2024. The job pays a median income of nearly $100,700 a year.
A college degree in computer science, software engineering or a related field is a standard requirement to land most software-development jobs, but a master's degree can give you a leg up on the competition. Beyond formal education, you need to stay on top of changes in the field, such as the introduction of new tools and computer languages. App developers already enjoy the second-highest median income on our list, and additional skills can fatten your paycheck even more. For example, according to Robert Half Technology, proficiency with Java or C# development can add 9% to your salary; Microsoft SQL Server database skills can add 10% to earnings.

Registered Nurse

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Total number of jobs: 2.7 million Job growth, 2004-2014: 15.8%
Projected job growth, 2014-2024: 16.6%
Median annual salary: $66,060
Typical education: Associate's degree
The outlook for RNs is healthy. This already robust workforce--the fifth-largest of all occupations--is expected to add nearly 450,000 new positions by 2024. Advancing technology, greater focus on preventive care and an aging population will mean a growing number of patients requiring care in hospitals, doctors' offices, long-term-care facilities and even private homes.
Becoming a registered nurse requires either a bachelor's of science in nursing (another one of our best four-year college majors), an associate's degree in nursing or a diploma from an accredited nursing program (which usually takes two to three years). You'll need a license to practice, as well, not to mention reserves of compassion, patience and emotional stability.

Information Security Analyst

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Total number of jobs: 82,400 Job growth, 2004-2014: 31.7%
Projected job growth, 2014-2024: 32.7%
Median annual salary: $88,587
Typical education: Bachelor's degree
Thank the cybercriminals for propelling the demand for information security analysts. This career has the second-fastest project growth rate of all the jobs on this list. Increasing digital dangers are pushing Uncle Sam, state and local governments, and companies of all stripes to hire more white hats to beef up their information security. You can also find new opportunities in hospitals and doctors' offices, where the move to keep more digital records pushes the need to protect patients' privacy.
To get started developing and implementing measures to safeguard an organization's computer network, you likely need a bachelor's degree in computer science, programming or another tech-related field. You may also need at least five years of work experience, perhaps as a network or systems administrator, to secure a management role. A master's of business administration in information systems can help you stand out in the applicant pool. Becoming a certified information systems security professional can boost your pay by 6%, according to Robert Half Technology.

Health Services Manager

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Total number of jobs: 318,703 Job growth, 2004-2014: 19.8%
Projected job growth, 2014-2024: 18.1%
Median annual salary: $89,835
Typical education: Bachelor's degree
As the population ages, demand for health services rises and technology improves, more administrators will be needed to run health care facilities. Health services managers may oversee the functions of an entire medical practice or facility--as a nursing home administrator, for example--or a specific department, as a clinical manager for, say, nursing, surgery or physical therapy. Health information managers work specifically on maintaining patient records and keeping them secure, an increasingly demanding task with the shift to digital.
A bachelor's in health administration is the ticket to this profession, but a master's in health services, long-term-care administration or public health is also common among these workers. You may need to be licensed to run certain types of facilities, such as a nursing home or an assisted-living facility. Check with your state's department of health for details.

Medical Sonographer

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Total number of jobs: 60,815 Job growth, 2004-2014: 38.0%
Projected job growth, 2014-2024: 34.3%
Median annual salary: $66,560
Typical education: Associate's degree
Not a fan of the scalpel? Noninvasive procedures to check out your insides are not only more popular with patients, the lower costs and relative simplicity also make them better options for insurers. And with advancing technology, they can be applied in more cases and used in more places, such as doctors' offices and medical labs outside of hospitals. No wonder this is the fastest-growing job on our list.
Sonographers operate special imaging equipment to peer inside patients and assist physicians in assessing medical conditions. You can get an associate's or bachelor's degree in sonography to get into this field. If you're already working in a related job, such as a radiation therapist, you may be able to transition into this role through a college's or hospital's one-year certificate program. Other specialized certifications, such as in fetal echocardiography or musculoskeletal sonography, can make you a more attractive job candidate. Learn more from the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography.

Physical Therapist

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Total number of jobs: 213,900 Job growth, 2004-2014: 34.1%
Projected job growth, 2014-2024: 27.2%
Median annual salary: $80,433
Typical education: Doctorate degree
Aging baby boomers are a boon for those working in physical therapy. Many more workers will be needed in this field to care for victims of heart attacks and strokes and to lead them through rehabilitation. And with ongoing advances in medicine, more people will survive such traumas and need rehabilitative services. You'll need a license to go along with your doctorate.
For similar reasons, demand for occupational therapists is also expected to grow at a clip of 23.1% over the next decade. While physical therapists focus on rehabilitation of major motor functions, occupational therapists help ill or disabled patients develop or recover the ability to independently perform daily tasks, such as dressing or feeding themselves. Occupational therapists typically need a master's degree to get started and earn a median income of nearly $77,000 a year.

Nurse Practitioner

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Total number of jobs: 118,473 Job growth, 2004-2014: 29.0%
Projected job growth, 2014-2024: 26.4%
Median annual salary: $92,768
Typical education: Master's degree
Thanks, Obama. The growing number of newly insured people due to federal health care reform adds to the patient lists of many primary care providers. Nurse practitioners (NPs), as well as physicians, are sought to meet those increasing needs. NPs are able to provide much of the same care as doctors, including performing routine checkups and writing prescriptions, and they can work independently. Exact guidelines vary by state. NPs need to become registered nurses (another of our best job picks) before pursuing their master's degrees, which could take one and a half to three years to complete. That extra time pays off: Nurse practitioners are the highest earners on our list.
Physician's assistants (PAs) are similar to NPs in knowledge, abilities and promise. They are trained to diagnose and treat patients and are able to write prescriptions and order tests. But unlike NPs, they work under the supervision of physicians and surgeons. (Again, specific duties and supervision requirements vary by state.) Though there are fewer of them than NPs, with less than 94,000 current PA jobs, that figure is expected to grow a rapid 28.8% by 2024. The median pay is about $94,000 a year. To get started, you need at least two years of postgraduate study to earn a master's in this field, and you need a license to practice.
2014 Best Jobs Rankings:
App Developer
Market Research Analyst
Information Security Analyst
Dental Hygienist
Management Analyst
Health Specialty Professor
Physical Therapist
Personal Financial Adviser
Civil Engineer
Brickmason

Kiplinger updates many of its rankings annually. Above is last year's list of 10 of the best jobs for the future. Keep in mind that ranking methodologies can change from year to year based on data available at the time of publishing, differences in how the data was gathered, changes in data providers and tweaks to the formulas used to narrow the pool of candidates.

Note: Unless otherwise noted, all employment data was provided by Economic Modeling Specialists International (EMSI), a labor market research firm owned by CareerBuilder. EMSI collects data from more than 90 federal, state and private sources, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The total number of jobs listed are for 2014.Ten-year job growth figures, both historical and projected, represent the percent change in the total number of jobs in an occupation between the start of the period and the end of the period. Annual earnings were calculated by multiplying median hourly earnings by 2,080, the standard number of hours worked in a year by a full-time employee.

Culled from Kiplinger

The impact of Branding in building Customer Loyalty, a case of PFAs-Odunze Reginald C

Image credited to Forbes.com

Brand is a name ,term, sign, symbol or design or a combination of them intended to identify the goods or services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from competitors     (Kotler :1995) .But I am more interested in brand extension. Brand extension is a marketing strategy of attaching an existing name to a new product, service, organization based on the success of an old name.

Most Pension Fund Administrators in the country are the product of brand extension, and according to Adrika et al (1997:130) “brand extension strategy is an effort to use a successful brand name to launch new or modified products or line” Trustfund pensions plc is a product of brand extension. Section 42 subsection 1 of the Pension Reform Act 2004 states that “the NSITF shall establish a company to undertake the business of pension fund administration in accordance with the act and in section 42 subsection 2, “it states that the fund contributed by any person before the commencement of the act together with any attribute income thereof not reserved for the purpose of administering maximum pensions as determined by the commission shall be computed and credited into the respective retirement savings account to be open by NSITF for each contributor or beneficiary of the contributor made under the NSITF of 1993”

Therefore Trustfund becomes a brand extension in establishing Trustfund pensions and also the origin of its payoff line “pension is all about trust”, other PFAS which are product of brand extensions include

Fidelity pensions Ltd

Crusader Pension Ltd

Leadway Pensions Ltd

Sigma Vaughan sterling pensions

Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers Ltd etc

 The advantage of brand extension is that a strong brand name     gives a product instant recognition Adrika et al (1997:130), it could be observed that Trustfund is a brand extension of NSITF, as Stanbic IBTC pension is to Stanbic ibtc bank, fidelity pensions an offshoot of fidelity bank, crusader pensions an offshoot of crusader insurance etc, the list could continue. But there are also disadvantages of brand extension as the failure of a brand may ultimately lead to the failure of its brand extension. But the gains far outweigh the disadvantages as most brand extension has established their feet and has even made their impact felt on a global scale.

From these extensions, it could be observed that most PFAS are collaborating for the purpose of achieving the objective of the group or the holding company.

Majero (1993:85) noted that when a good brand image is built, it can command a premium price, owing to the valuable psychological tangibles associated with its name. Such is the power of name that most women adopt their parents name before attaching their marital name. Name especially a good product name or service or organization most times becomes a sort of goodwill that becomes a great asset in balance sheet of most organization. In extreme situation branding and brand extension becomes so powerful that customers adopt the name as generic product.

In a special report in 2003 by Business week captioned “The Best Global Brands”, Annual Ranking of the top 100 Brands. In a sub title “Brands in an age of Anti Americanism” the report stated and I quote” Park Young Hoon of Seoul was quick to clench his fist and yell slogans against George W Bush in a giant rally denouncing the US president’s tough policy on North Korea. The report went on to say “but that doesn’t mean the 33 year old Computer Engineer is willing to loosen his grip on his favorite American coffee or cola” 

“Calling for political independence from the US is one thing and liking American brands is another” he says off course I like IBM, Dell, Microsoft, Starbucks and Coke”

The report also stated that “Yemeni students were out burning American flags, chanting kill the Americans noted by Valenti CEO of the Motion Pictures Association of Americans, as soon as the theaters open at 7pm, bingo, they are all there”.

In my article on the power of branding, I opined “ the popular Islamic fighters also stated that they are against western education, but bingo, they are carrying the latest assemblage of state of the art weapons and ammunitions which are the products of foreign countries  , they are also  uploading their videos, pictures of their exploits in You tube, and other social networks, the Islamic State militants  that killed the American In Iraq were busy castigating the Americans, yelling anti American slogans, but by evening they are communicating their exploits in Twitter, Face book and You tube. One thing is to hate a country, a society and another thing is to like its product or service.

In my experience with working Samsung, I discovered that branding is very essential for the survival of an organization, as the organization contracted Insight Grey Communication to handle the branding and corporate communication requirements.

Have you ever wondered why companies like coca cola, IBM, and Microsoft etc are always putting up strategies for the effective branding of its organization.

As Pension Fund Administrators awaits the transfer window, the brand they are able to build, will a long way in giving them the edge, loyalty and customer patronage, they all needed to keep their customers.

As the say image is everything, and one of the key factors of image building is brand building and brand loyalty.

9 ways to make your kids smarter about money-By Jonathan Clements

Teach lessons about money using ordinary life

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Forget having the talk. Instead, have many talks.

If you sit your children down and endeavor to share all of your hard-earned financial wisdom, you likely will quickly lose your audience. A better approach: Try to weave small financial lessons into everyday conversations, building up your children’s money savvy with repetition and real-life examples.
“The whole ‘Pull back the curtain and share the information’ may make great movies, but it doesn’t make great real life,” says Holly Isdale, founder of Wealthaven in Bryn Mawr, Pa., which advises wealthy families on financial issues. “You have to have these discussions all along. Everything is a teaching moment.”
Want to raise money-smart children? Here are nine ways to boost their financial acumen:
Discuss their allowance. Barbara Nusbaum, a New York psychologist specializing in the emotional side of money, advises having children divvy up their weekly allowance into three buckets: spend, save and share.
“An allowance is invaluable,” she says. “That allows you to have small talks about money all the time,” including what your children plan to buy, what they are saving for and what charities they want to support.
Review the cellphone bill. “When my daughter graduated elementary school and got her first phone, I took the chance to dive into the phone bill,” says Tim Ranzetta, founder of NextGenPersonalFinance.org, which offers personal-finance educational materials for high-school and college students.
With his daughter, now age 12, Ranzetta emphasized that data usage drives the total monthly cellphone bill, which is why it is worth using Wi-Fi networks whenever they are available.
Share the credit-card bill. As financial statements arrive, you might review them with your children. For instance, you could show them the credit-card bill, discuss how easy it is to overspend with a credit card and point out how much interest you would be charged if you didn’t pay off the balance.
Pull your credit reports. If you go to AnnualCreditReport.com, you can get free copies of your credit reports from the three major credit bureaus.
It is a good idea to review these reports regularly to make sure there are no errors and no accounts have been opened in your name without your knowledge. While you are at it, show them to your children and take the chance to discuss the loans you have taken out, when it makes sense to borrow and the importance of making loan payments on time to maintain a good credit score.
Visit the cash machine. Ranzetta has his daughter shield the keypad when he punches in his personal identification number. He uses that as a chance to discuss the importance of protecting personal information and avoiding identity theft.
Open a bank account. This summer, Ranzetta plans to open a checking account for his daughter. But first, he is going to prod her to review the account agreement, with a particular focus on whether she wants overdraft protection.
If she opts for the protection, she won’t have to worry about her debit-card purchases being denied—but she could get hit with a $35 fee every time she overdraws. “Kids are going to tune in a lot more when it’s real,” Ranzetta says.
Go grocery shopping. The supermarket offers a chance for all kinds of money conversations, including why items are priced at $3.99 rather than $4, how to use unit pricing to find the best deal and why sugary cereals are placed where children can easily see them.
It also is a great opportunity to discuss needs and wants. “In our culture, there’s a deliberate confusion of needs and wants,” Nusbaum says. “As parents, we need to help our kids figure out the difference.”
Explain the auto policy. When your teenagers get their driver’s licenses, you will need to add them to your auto insurance. You might show them the revised policy, discuss the big jump in premium that comes with adding a young driver and talk about the different parts of the policy, including deductibles and the importance of liability coverage in case you get sued.

Revisit the week’s highlights. “At dinner, have a conversation about what happened this week that you’re grateful for,” Nusbaum suggests. “Your kid says, ‘l love my dance class.’ And you can say, ‘How did those classes come about?’”

That can be a chance to talk about where the money came from, how much the family spends each month and how you set financial priorities based on what you think is important.

These frequent conversations can make parents uncomfortable, especially when it involves talking about their own finances. But if you don’t teach your children about money, they will be left to learn from others—and you might not like the result.

“Many parents don’t want to talk about money,” Nusbaum notes. “But if you don’t, you’re abdicating responsibility.”

Culled from money watch

Pension Management and Retirement-Odunze Reginald C

Image credited to Guardian.com

The origin of pension’s dates back to ancient time, the Holy Bible in the book of Numbers 8 vs. 25, stated “but at the age of fifty, they must retire from the regular service and work no longer” and according to King James version, it states” And from the age of fifty years  they shall ceased waiting upon the service thereof and shall serve no more”

Why then do people view retirement as a wreck, the reason is that they have not save enough to cater for retirement during old age. There is a strong connection between planning, enough pension pot and happy retirement.

And according to Robert Kiyosaki, in his book Rich dad, poor dad, he noted that “people work for two reasons, to save for retirement and to make lots of money” Continuing Kiyosaki noted that “an individual’s reality is the boundary between faith and self confidence, and a person’s financial reality will not clear until he or she go beyond the fears and doubts of his or her own self imposed limits. Those self imposed limits are what limits the retiree from enjoying a happy an successful retirement.

According to Donna Rosato in an article captioned “5 secrets to a happy retirement-“noted that “Busy retirees tend to be happier. But just how active do you have to be? Moss has put a number on it. He found that the happiest retirees engage in three to four activities regularly; the least happy, only one or two. “The happy retiree group had extraordinarily busy schedules,” he says. “I call it hobbies on steroids.”
Rosato (op cited) noted that “For the biggest boost to your happiness, pick a hobby that’s social. The top pursuits of the happiest retirees include volunteering, travel, and golf; for the unhappiest, they’re reading, hunting, fishing, and writing. “The happiest people don’t do things in isolation,” says Moss. That’s no surprise when you consider that people 65 and older get far more enjoyment out of socializing than younger people do.”

So what should do during old age as it regards investment and business as majority of the retirees are interested in working and making more money, thereby creating wealth.  And according to Walter Updegrave in an article captioned “ Three Little mistakes that can sink your retirement,  which appeared in Yahoo Finance it states that “It’s almost become a cliché. Virtually every survey asking pre-retirees what they plan to do in retirement shows that the overwhelming majority plan to work.

 Indeed, a recent Merrill Lynch survey found that nearly three out of four people over 50 said their ideal retirement would include working. Which is fine. Staying connected to the work world in some way can not only offer financial benefits, it can also keep retirees more active and socially engaged

US: Stocks end lower as Greece keeps traders cautious

PHOTO: BLOOMBERG

[NEW YORK] US stocks eased from the week's highs on Friday as traders became cautious ahead of a fraught-filled weekend for Greece and the eurozone.
Giving up more than half of Thursday's gains, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 101.56 points (0.56 per cent) at 18,014.28, and the broad-based S&P 500 fell 11.48 (0.54 per cent) to 2,109.76.
After sweeping to a new record Thursday, the Nasdaq Composite Index shed 15.95 points (0.31 per cent) at 5,117.00.
The mild sell-off came as Greece and its official creditors entered the weekend with no deal on more financial aid to Athens in sight, and the cash-short country facing a June 30 deadline to repay 1.5 billion euros (US$1.7 billion) to the International Monetary Fund.

"Greece is obviously on everyone's mind; it could be just positioning ahead of that potential for volatility on Monday," said Charlie Bilello of Pension Partners. "Why take the risk over the weekend if you don't have to?" ConAgra Foods jumped 10.9 per cent as hedge fund Jana Partners reported amassing a 7.2 per cent stake and moved for three board seats in an effort to change management direction and boost the company's value, complaining of poor performance in the wake of the 2013 US$6.7 billion purchase of RalCorp.
Also in play was home lifestyle and furnishing group Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, which added another 8.4 per cent on top of Thursday's surge on news that retail fashion brands investor Sequential Brands Group was nearing agreement to buy the iconic firm.
Among other movers, American Airlines rose almost 4.0 per cent, while chocolate maker Hersey melted off 3.5 per cent on a lowered sales forecast, and oil services power Schlumberger dropped 2.3 per cent.
Bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year US Treasury slid to 2.27 per cent from 2.34 per cent Thursday, while the 30-year fell to 3.05 per cent from 3.13 percent.
Bond prices and yields move inversely.

Culled from AFP in Business Times